Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1887-03-04
came 70 return the fire that the savage $

been hauled out there among them.
They wasted hundreds Of bullets be-
fore they ceased firing. and with ride
Walker killed two more of them before
night set in.
The superstitious nature Of the Indian
would have driven him away had he not
burned for revenge. And, too, IL was
argued that the wagon must contain
something of great value to have teen
built that way. and greed was added to
the thirst for vengeance. They believed
that the bottom of the box, at least, was
Of wood, and about three hours after
dark number of warriors, each having
a bunch of grass under his arm, crept
forward 10 the vehicle TO start fire un-
der il. They crept as nOiselessly as SER
pents, but before man OF them had
passed under u double barrelled shot
gun belched forth its contents, aud two
more bucks set out for the happy hunt
ing grounds. Next day, refusing to be-
,ieye that a wagon could be bullet proof,
the Indians opened fusilade, which
was maintained for two hours. They
were behind trees and logs aud under
cover, and not shot WAS provoked In
response. Various schemes were con-
cocted to get at the wagon, which was
finally believed to contain n party OF
hunters, but none promised success. AT
noon, however, number of young war
riors volunteered TO carry out plaa.
There were twelve Of them, aud they
were to approach the wagon In wide
circle. The idea was TO seize and upset
1t, and thus render the occupants harm
less. The circle was made. and II grad
ually narrowed until the signal for a
rush was made.
The man within-grim, silent, watch
ful-let the circle close, and the warri-
ors seize the wheels before he opened
fire. 1t would have taken a dozen stout
men to have lifted two OF the wheels of
the ground. He shot down three OF
them and the others He'd In terror, and
half an hour later the siege was aban-
doned and the Indians were moving on.
For two long weeks the wagon remained
in that spot, an object of curiosity to
scouts and hunters-an object Of awe
and menace to the sayages. Then, one
morning just at daylight, Grim Walker
came into Fort Mcpherson for his mules.
He was going TO move his iron cage to
a new field. lie replenished his pro-
visions and inside of two hours was oil
again, having spoken less than fifty
words during his stay. II seemed AS II
lie had grown taller, fiercer-more grim
and revengeful. There was something
pitiful in knowing that he alone hac
survived the massacre; something ap.
palliny In the knowledge that he had
BECOME a Nemesis whom nothing but
blood would satisfy.
The wagon was moved North TO the
head waters of the Saline Fork. One who
has been over the route will wonder
how It could have been done. Ii was
attacked there Que forenoon about lO
o'clock by a band of thirty warriors,
who had been raiding on the Solomon s
river. The mules were staked out, and
Grim Walker sat at his camp fire. The
warriors charged up on horseback, be-
lieving they had hunters or survey
or's outfit, and while they stampedeu
and secured the mules, four Of them
were killed from the loopholes OF the
cage. They came back again, and an
other was killed and two were wounded.
Then they discovered what sort Of an
enemy they had TO deal with and with
drew. Grim Walker aud his wagon re-
NAMED there for month. When the
Indians would no longer come to him he
SET out I'm search Of them, and he became
yeritable terror. Twenty different
warriors whom | interviewed between
1864 and 1867 told me that Walker was
more feared than hundred Indian
fighters. He killed everything he came
TO that was Indian, including squaws,
ponies, children, and dogs. No camp
felt safe from him. He had the ferocity
of n hungry tiger AMI the cunning of
serpent. He used his iron wagon as
headquarters, and made raids for hfty
miles around.
During the summer our scouts saw
Walker or his wagon once fortnight.
He was last seen alive on Sept. 2, on the
Republican river, when he had fresh
Indian scalp in his belt. He had then
blown up his wagon with gunpowder
and abandoned ii, although he did not
state the fact. His hair and beard had
become long aud upkempt, his clothing
was In rags. and there could be no doubt
that he had gone mad. On the 10Th OF
the month, as rode with an escort OF
soldiers south OF where he was seen on
the I'd, and fifty miles from the spot, we
found him dead. He lay on bare
knoll, on the broad Of bis back, with bis
arms folded over his breast and his rife
by his side. His eyes were wide open
as if looking at the buzzards sailing
above him, and we satisfied ourselves
that be had died from natural causes
He had dozen scars and wounds, but
disease had overpowered Lin, or hi
work had been done. He bad exacted
a full measure Of vengeance. Better
for the Indians had they let bis immi
grant party pass on in peace, for he hae
brought mourning to hundred lodges
= Nee York Sun.
q small boy on his first appearance